Dog gets dose of Narcan after swallowing prescription drugs

The York County Sheriff’s Office administered a dose of Narcan to a dog that ingested a large amount of Oxycodone.

YORK COUNTY (WGME) — The York County Sheriff’s Office administered a dose of Narcan to a dog that ingested a large amount of Oxycodone.

Addie, a three-year-old yellow labrador, can retrieve on command, sit and stay.

“She’s a sweet girl,” said her owner, Leslie Mallar-Reynolds.

The sweet girl has a sweet tooth. Mallar-Reynolds said Addie found gummi worms in her daughter’s purse on Thursday, and that wasn’t all.

“It was in a bottle, (with a) child proof cap,” said Mallar-Reynolds. “She chewed the cap off and half the bottle.”

Addie also nibbled on narcotics that had been prescribed by a doctor for back pain. Mallar-Reynolds said she quickly did the math.

“That meant there was 25 five milligram Oxy tablets that were taken, for total dose of 125 milligrams,” she said.

When two local veterinarians said they didn’t have any narcotic reversal medication, Mallar-Reynolds said she started heading for an emergency clinic in Scarborough.

Luckily, she found help on the way when she spotted two cruisers from the York County Sheriff’s Office.

“I asked him, ‘Do you have any Narcan?’ said Mallar-Reynolds. “And he did.”

“She was almost pleading, to the point of, we need to do something for this dog,” said Sgt. David Chauvette.

Chauvette said he didn’t think twice. He turned on his lights and used his cruiser to block traffic at a Lyman intersection, before giving Addie a dose of Narcan.

“Put it like this and you would squirt half a dose nasally,” he said.

All York County deputies have been carrying the drug for the past year, but Chauvette said this is the first time he’s ever used it. Officials believe it’s the first use on a dog in Maine, which is fitting, since Chauvette is a dog lover himself.

“Happy endings are good,” Chauvette said. “Often times in law enforcement we don’t get that.”

“A lot of people say, ‘Where are the cops when you need them?'” said Mallar-Reynolds. “And it’s like, they were right there.”

This family is forever grateful that this wasn’t the end of Addie’s tale.